Let’s call this my pre-Lenten blog. Lent begins February 14 this year. Hope to give some food for thought to those of you who read this. Sometimes we are surprised by moments in our lives. Saturday, February 3, 2018 was one of those times for me. The picture I chose for this blog is of my “mindfulness” wall. The three clearly wood carved items I bought from the Shepherds of Bethlehem. Below I am sharing a short Facebook post I…..

We seem to live a world where public recognition is what everyone strives to attain. The award, the trophy, the plaque, the game ring, the money, all measure the value of our worth. I must admit at times I fall prey to those fantasies. I am not above wanting my poetry to sell and win awards when at home too many days with my thoughts. Then, I go to school and substitute…..

The photo I chose I took in my hometown cemetery in Michigan. Sometimes when I go their to put flowers for Memorial Day I walk through the old headstones. It is a small town but there are many soldiers from many wars buried there. Dates going back into the 1800s. I always feel a sense of the sacrifice made to maintain our country and all it holds dear. Our Second Amendment in the…..

I have always wanted to try painting. I am a poet. I cannot draw. I used to watch a painter on PBS. He would walk you through a painting, and I would dream. A friend of mine on Facebook started something she calls Pray & Paint. The pray part can make me a bit weary. My faith is a deeply private and quiet part of my life. I am not one who can just…..

Not sure how to begin this one. I do, as much as possible, try to stay open all sides of the issues. I try to understand an opposite point of view and give respect to them. Now I am a liberal democrat. I have finally made peace with that. On Facebook and Twitter, I follow a few far right pages and people. Once in awhile I attempt to express my opinion by commenting. My…..

I went to the Women’s March on Washington DC for so many reasons. My children both worried. My daughter worried I would get killed. My son had similar concerns. His felt that I would try to protect someone else and be killed because that is who I am. Yet, I knew that on that day and in that moment DC was where I needed to be, and I got a seat on…..

I have felt so drawn to the Women’s March in Washington D.C. since it was first mentioned. How would I get there? I do not travel enough to jump on a plane and go alone. No one was leaving from my little town. So, I started keeping an eye on the March’s Facebook page – then, the Michigan March’s Facebook page. Finally, the MEA (Michigan Education Association) said they had 5 buses…..

Re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul. -Walt Whitman Here I am 58 years old. I never I saw a day in the USA I would be so politically moved that I would want to join a march in Washington D.C. Me, quiet, normally non-intrusive, with my opinions. Focusing them in my poetry – a medium that can be embraced or rejected by the…..

These are some difficult days. It seems as if I am watching a train wreck at times as I try to keep up on the new administration as it prepares to takeover. I substitute teach in a rural elementary school with a high Hispanic population. As a person in authority and influence over young minds, I cannot state my personal political opinion in the classroom. Over the last month of subbing, I have had…..

I believe in our right of peaceful assembly and protest. I believe in religious freedom (Christianity is not the only path). I believe in our right to free speech. Our President-Elect offended, belittled, and divided many people and groups of people during his campaign. He has given loud voice to an under current in our country. We see now while we have come a long way in the same breath we have not. Yet, the…..